There is a famous Taoist painting called “The Vinegar Tasters”, showing together the three greatest prophets of Chinese philosophy: Confucius, the Buddha, and Lao Tzu (the founder of Taoism). Each of them is taking a taste from a great pot of vinegar. Confucius tastes the vinegar and scowls; the Buddha tastes the vinegar and has no expression; Lao Tzu tastes the vinegar and smiles.

The painting is perhaps unfair to the Buddhists, for while Buddhism is sometimes characterized as cultivating a Spock-like lack of emotion, it actually encourages a lack of wrong attachments, i.e. attachments to inappropriate things and feelings; and once these attachments are dropped, what remains is not emotionlessness, but Nirvana, i.e. endless rapture. This is why statues of the Buddha often show him smiling. (The painting may be unfair to the Confucists, too, but I know very little about Confucianism.)

Nevertheless the Vinegar Tasters is a powerful painting, and it strongly makes the Taoist point that unpleasant experiences need not be avoided or expunged, but can be enjoyed as an integral part of the flow of the world.

After all, isn’t Narnia Christian allegory? It’s blatantly obvious to anyone who gives it a moment’s thought. But I’ve argued elsewhere that children are natural born pagans. So what’s the attraction? Does Christianity touch something in children, after all? Or is Narnia not wholly Christian?

Jeff Lilly

Jeff Lilly is a Druid, linguist, and author. He writes about Druid things -- meditation, relationship with Spirit, soulful fulfillment in scholarship and art, reconnecting the ancient with the modern, creating beauty, and healing the world. He also dabbles in all kinds of fiction, from the speculative to the fantastic. He lives with his wife Ali and their cat Cu in Seattle, WA.

Most Americans, year after year, continue to think that the country is on the wrong track. The older you are (i.e, the more experienced you are, and the more of history you've seen), the more likely you are to think everything is falling apart. And it's not just in America: worldwide, people tend to … [Read More...]

A few months ago there was another breakthrough in geriatrics. This time, scientists were actually able to reverse aging in mice.
The very thought of reversing aging has been considered insane for most of the history of science. Getting old happens -- to animals, plants, buildings, planets, and … [Read More...]

There are only two kinds of plots in true science fiction: Science is a Hero, and Science is a Villain.
In Science is a Hero, there is some problem or other -- an asteroid is going to hit the Earth, the Galactic Empire is falling, there's a Plague IN SPACE!! -- and the heroic characters … [Read More...]

Axon, Inc. (Sci-Fi)

Axon, Inc. In the near future, a small company struggles to keep control of its extremely disruptive proprietary technology: telepathic computing. Based on my own experiences in the modern tech industry, intermixed with characters and themes inspired by Norse mythology, Axon, Inc. explores a probable future that is just a few years away, but almost unimaginable.

Axon, Inc. Blog: Axon Firings

About a year ago, as I was working through the revisions of Axon, Inc., I got into an intense discussion with my brilliant and beautiful wife Ali about the Chronicles of Narnia. It’s a series I adored when I was younger, but when I read it again to my kids when they were very young, I […]

Just a quick update here: I finished the final revisions to the beta version at 1 AM on Nov. 4. First sentence: Walden hefted the SCAR to his shoulder and gently switched the safety off. Last sentence: The other man, unhurt, knelt beside him, crying. Total words: 104,730 Total chapters: 14 Total scenes: 58 Pages (if […]

I have to admit, I’m pretty excited. It’s been a little over two years since I had the initial idea for Axon, Inc., and at last, the revisions are very, very close to being finished. I have twelve scenes to review and rewrite, and I should be done with these by Halloween night. Then it’ll be ready… Ready […]

Mere America (Alternate History / Fantasy)

Mere America is an alternate history of a mirror-reversed America, in which the California redwoods march down the east coast, and the Pacific breakers pound Manhattan Island. From the original Viking incursion in British Columbia to the technocrats of the 20th-century Iroquois, from the victory of the Confederacy (built on slavery and gold) to President Martin Luther King of the Free States of America, "Mere America" follows the grand sweep of history through the lives of key characters such as Leif Erikson, Virginia Dare, Robert E. Lee, Bright Path (Jim Thorpe), and Ronald Reagan. Part One, "First Nations", concerns the first clashes between Europeans and the 'Namgis, the Cherokee, the Muwekma, and the Mohawk. Click here to visit my Amazon author page.

Short Story Collection: Wild Enough and Free

I’ve gathered together my best short fiction, along with an introduction on fiction writing, and postscripts describing how each story came to be written, and put them together into a single volume. Named after the final short story, Wild Enough and Free is an eclectic collection that contains science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and general weirdness. Click here to visit my Amazon author page.

Coming Soon: the Monstrous Child (Steampunk Adventure)

The Atheneum: a secluded school on a hidden island in the midst of the North Sea. There they teach forbidden knowledge -- the secret history of mankind, control of matter and energy, transcendence of time, space, and all mortal limitations... Every year, a select few students are chosen to attend. Some graduate, and join a shadowy worldwide society. And some are never heard from again. Two new students have arrived this year. One is an orphan who accidentally cast an unspeakable curse on her cousin; and the other is a farm girl with a secret power. But they might be too dangerous to be allowed to live. Click here to visit my Amazon author page.